About “Year of the Cat”

Al Stewart’s signature hit from 1976, having reached No. 8 in the billboard chart.
Inspired by the film Casablanca, and referring to the year found in the Vietnamese zodiac, but not in the Chinese (replaced by a rabbit – go figure).

Al Stewart had/has a very unique song writing ability, which earned the title of “Chief scribe of English Music”.

He described in 2012 interview his writing philosophy –

If it’s already been written, why write it again? If it’s already been said, why say it again? I mean there are some remarkable quotes that I love. But I didn’t say them.
And you don’t want to pass them off as your own work. Napoleon said that “Time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted”.
And that, actually, has governed my life. You know what I mean? That’s a quote you can live by. But it’s not my quote. So if I say it I always credit it to Napoleon. There is another way of saying any of the things you want to say, rather than rehashing someone else’s words.